Born in Bordeaux in 1822, she moved to Paris at age six with her family. Her parents belonged to a Christian-socialist sect that promoted equal education for men and women, which allowed her to develop her skills without regard for gender distinctions. She learned the alphabet by drawing an animal for each letter, a practice she credited for her lifelong understanding of animal subjects.

Her father provided her early training in painting and sculpture, often bringing live animals into the studio for her to study. She became a prolific animalier, producing works such as Ploughing in the Nivernais, which was exhibited at the Salon of 1849, and The Horse Fair, which debuted at the Salon of 1853. She lived with her partner Nathalie Micas for over forty years, and later resided with the American painter Anna Elizabeth Klumpke.